The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

In their first meeting for the year since switching places in the history books as the national record holder of the women’s high hurdles, Pedrya Seymour pulled a close victory over Devynne Charlton to highlight the performances of a number of Bahamians at the Rod McCravy Memorial in Lexington, Kentucky, over the weekend.

In the much anticipated clash of the titans, Seymour came third for the Illinois  Fighting Illini in a personal best of 7.98 seconds to Purdue Boilermakers’ Charlton, who finished fourth place in a season’s best of 8.05. The race was won by world record holder Kendra Harrison, competing for Adidas, in 7.75 for a new championship record. Leah Nugent of PUMA was second in 7.96. “It was a pretty good race, but of course I was a bit anxious just because the world record holder was in the race,” Seymour told The Tribune. “But I felt pretty confident with my training, so I knew I would do very well. I didn’t have a good start. That is something I definitely have to work on.

“But when I got going, probably around the third hurdle, I started competing and the results took care of itself. But it was good to see Devynne back and running and she’s healthy again. I know a lot of people watched the race, so I’m glad that I finished under eight seconds and I didn’t fold up.”

Seymour, in her second meet for the year, said she knows there is still a lot more in the tank and she hopes to get better as the season progresses and eventually erase Illinois’ school record of 7.90 indoors and go after the NCAA record of 7.77.

But she said her ultimate goal is to qualify for the IAAF World Championships in August in London, England, and she’s hoping that both her and Charlton are both there as they try to make the country proud starting with the NCAA Championships.

While it was just her season’s best, Charlton acknowledged that she still has a lot more work to do.

“I wasn’t pleased because the racer itself was somewhat sloppy and was not executed well,” dshe told The Tribune. “But it’s encouraging at the same time because I know what to work on and fix for the next time.”

Looking at the field of competitors, they competed against, Charlton said she “expected to see good competition and face probasbly the best field of athletes. I wanted to have a better showing, but I’m still happy eith the season’s bestperformance.

“Having Kendra Harrison next to me was definitely a push and added a little extra pressure as well as having Pedrya in the race. I knew I would have to compete hard against thaty type of field.”

After the performance, just her second meet for the season since returning from her injured season last year, Charlton said she’s pleased with her effort moving forward.

Last year, Seymour erased Charlton’s national outdoor record and lowered it to 12.64 when she raced to a sixth place finish at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Charlton, who went down with an injury and had to skip the trip to Rio, still holds the national indoor record of 7.97 that she established at the Big Ten Conference Championships last year in Geneva, Ohio.

A number of other Bahamians participated in the meet with another dual match-up. 

In the men’s 400m, Henry Delauza, a junior at Miami, won the race in 47.42 and Purdue’s sophomore Kinard Rolle suffered his first loss of the season as he dropped to third in 47.54. 

Also, Kirk Lewis Jr, representing the Clemson Crimson Tide as a junior, qualified with the sixth spot in 8.01 and went on to improve to 7.88 for fourth place in the final.

In the women’s 60m, Purdue’s Carmiesha Cox ran 7.41 for fifth place in the final after she posted the ninth and final qualifying spot in 7.44. Javiann Oliver, a senior at Kentucky, won the race in 7.18.

Cox, in her senior year, doubled up in the 200m where she got eighth place in 23.94, while Keianna Albury, a sophomore at Penn State, was 22nd in 24.57.

“This weekend was a good week for the Boilermakers. We had a few season’s best, some personal best and an overall good effort,” she told The Tribune. “I was pleased with both of my races this weekejnd. I got a new lifetime best in the 60m and an okay 200m race. There is still work to be done and I’m excited for what this seasons brings.”

Cox, who ran on the Olympic women 4 x 400m relay team, said her goal this season is to qualify for the World Championships in London in the 200m and hopefully lower her times.

And Purdue’s Keanu Pennerman just missed out of advancing to the men’s 60m final when he clocked 6.86 for 10th place. The ninth and final spot went in with the same time. Pennerman, a sophomore, was also 18th in the 200m in 22.04.

On the field, Dannielle Gibson, coming of her Athlete of the Month honor at Penn State, got third in the women’s triple jump with 12.88m. Gibson, now in her senior year, also contested the long jump where she was ninth with 5.59m, followed by Keianna Albury in a distant 20th place with 5.16m. 

Back on the field, some of the athletes competed on their relay teams.In the women’s 4 x 400m, Cox ran the third leg as the Boilermakers came in fifth in 3:56.11.

And in the men’s 4x4, Rolle ran second as Purdue finished sixth in 3:10.38 with Delauze, going head-to-head on the same leg, coming in eighth in 3:12.16 for Miami.